The
nature of cation−π interactions in a set of [Ru(η6-C16H12R4)(NH3)3]2+3+ (R = F, CN, CH3, and others),
complexes was investigated with Su–Li energy decomposition
analysis and the natural orbitals for chemical valence and the extended
transition state method EDA-NOCV. The long-distance effects of electron-donating
and electron-withdrawing substituents as well as protonation of the ipso carbon on the nature of cation−π interactions
were investigated. Both energy decomposition analyses, Su–Li
EDA and EDA-NOCV, are in total agreement, showing that the presence
of electron-donating substituents such as CH3, NH2, and H3CO tends to stabilize the ruthenium–arene
interaction while electron-withdrawing substituents such as F, CN,
and NO2 tend to weaken such interactions. The electrostatic
component of the ruthenium–arene interaction is the most affected
by the substitution, despite the fact that the covalent character
is much more significant than the electrostatic character. EDA-NOCV
reveals that the most important orbital stabilization comes from donation
and back-donation between the interacting fragments, while the σ
density deformations present a moderate contribution to total orbital
stabilization energy in ruthenium–arene interactions of complexes 1–8.